What's New: The passion for Porsches comes from a deep connection between man and machine. The more hard-edged, stripped-down and pure that Porsche model is–the tighter the bond. The Porsche Cayman R is so involving it practically welds itself to the driver, and to create this minimalist masterpiece, Porsche engineers carved away as much weight as possible. They trimmed 121 pounds from the Cayman S by using aluminum door skins, carbon-fiber racing-style seats and new wheels. The company also dropped what some might consider necessary luxuries, such as air conditioning and a stereo system. Even the interior door handles are gone, replaced by fabric pull loops just like the Porsche 911 GT3. It's hardcore.

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Under the hood, the Cayman's 3.4-liter flat six remains largely the same for 2012, but gets a 10-hp boost from a new exhaust and engine-management tweaks, bringing the total to 330 hp. A six-speed manual comes standard and provides the best power-to-weight ratio. However, our test car was equipped with the heavier $3660 dual-clutch PDK gearbox, as well as the $1560 Bi-Xenon headlamps, $1480 Sport Chrono package and more options that cranked the price up from the $66,300 base to nearly 80 grand. To increase the Cayman's already deft handling, the R version is lowered by 20 mm, has a wider track, wears modified sway bars and is fitted with a standard limited-slip differential.

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Tech Tidbit: One of the toys in our beefed-up test car was the $2810 Sport Exhaust. At the push of a button located in the center console, this system changes the sound of the engine as it exhales through the pipes. The Cayman's electronics can toggle flaps in the muffler open or closed to increase or decrease the sound. Porsches have come with this option since 2010, and in the Cayman R, it's worth every penny.

Driving Character: To get the full flavor of our Peridot Metallic Cayman R, we hit the canyon roads near Malibu for two back-to-back days of fun. It was hot out there. But the upside of having no AC is that with the windows down you hear the amazing engine howl as it echoes off the rock faces of Mulholland Highway with each pull of the paddle shifters. Thanks to that little Sport Exhaust button, the Cayman R gives a much more exotic and throaty growl than a Cayman S; it almost makes this car sound like a junior-league F1 car. You won't spend much time using the paddle shifters in the Cayman R because the PDK transmission in Sport Plus mode can react quicker than you can, dropping a gear or even three before you can reach for those little levers. And it's a speedy machine, hitting 60 mph in well under 5 seconds.

You're the king of the road in the Cayman R. There is simply endless grip that feels so accessible that you will push this car harder than you would a Porsche 911. The feedback from the fat Alcantara steering wheel might be the most direct and natural of any car we've driven. The suspension tune is equally brilliant on any surface. Typically, any car with an "R" in its name would have an uncomfortable ride. But in this case, the R doesn't stand for -rough. The one drawback is that the supportive and comfortable seats do tend to hold in the heat that hovers in the cabin because of the car's lack of a/c. Our advice? Wear shorts.

Favorite Detail: In a car that drives so well, it's odd that our favorite details would be largely visual. But the combination of the retro green paint, Porsche door-side graphics, blacked-out trim and that discreet fixed-wing spoiler makes the Cayman R one tough-looking machine.

Driver's Grievance: No matter how wonderful a car is, we need air conditioning. And though this test car came without it, you can option it back into your Cayman R. Forget about the 30-or-so pounds it saves. In a heat wave, comfort is more important.

The Bottom Line: The Cayman R is perhaps the best Porsche we've ever driven. It takes everything that's important about a sports car and amplifies it. Unfortunately, though, this is a Porsche, so the price keeps it out of most hands. The Cayman R starts at $66,300, which seems much more reasonable than our car' as-tested price of $78,150. That's actually more expensive than a bare-bones 2011 Porsche 911 Coupe. Still, if there were one sports car we could have in our own garage this year-at any price–it would be a green Cayman R.